Styling With Rogaine, Getting a Head Start

In my new series STYLING WITH, I try out new products and see how they work and if they work for me. Today we are styling with Rogaine to see how it works.

This article was updated on June 1, 2020 with more information on how to style your hair with Rogaine. 

STYLING HAIR AFTER ROGAINE

Gone are the days when men had to preserve through partial and even complete baldness, all thanks to products like Rogaine (or products that have Minoxidil). If the term is news to you, minoxidil is a medication used for the treatment of male-pattern hair loss. It is available as a generic medication and over the counter.

Minoxidil treatments help regrow hair whether it is thinned out from aging, baldness from hereditary causes, use of a poor hair product, or any other causes. The action of these products reverses hair miniaturization and boosts the regrowth of new healthy hair follicles. Both products are basically the same in terms of functionality and could be used interchangeably in this article.

The use of Rogain, however, comes with its fair share of worries, especially for men, who are minimalists and new to cosmetic products, most of the time. The good news is that, while you may be wondering which procedure to follow or wondering how long it will take for your new look to take shape, styling won’t cause you a headache. We have prepared a sample of the top styles to go for after using Rogain or Minoxidil. Here they are:

1. SIMPLE SIDE PART

Regardless of your hair texture, color, length, or type, the simple side part will have you looking dashing. It could be worn for the casual or official look which makes it an everyday style. When using Minoxidil, you may be limited to the hair products that you used previously, simply because some chemicals may not mesh well with the Rogain. With this in mind, therefore, simply clean your hair, wait till it dries out, apply your Rogain/minoxidil, comb your hair then slide in the comb on one side, to part the hair into two parts. In a couple of minutes, you’re done!

Consider moving a larger portion of hair to the middle section to hide the thinned out air. You could also ruffle the hair with a comb to make it appear voluminous. Even after regrowth, this style will remain iconic.

2. MESSY SPIKES

The anxiety of waiting for your hair to grow can be tiresome, although, with Rogain, it only takes 3/4 months. In the meantime, before you have the luxury to style your hair in all imaginable ways from the incoming mane, simply style your head with messy spikes. This can be on short or average hair, where the spikes are spread to give a casual look and improve the coverage of the scalp. It will be especially great in the growth phase of using Minoxidil/Rogain.

3. BUZZ CUT

This style is recommended for serious cases of hair absence. The cut involves trimming the hair to a short length, meaning the hair is cut quite close to the scalp. Do not be concerned about the action of the Rogain, since it works by being absorbed into the scalp. This means that no matter how short your hair is, the product will work effectively. When the missing parts of hair are very noticeable, the best solution is to cut down to a very short length to allow the hair to regrow uniformly, while looking presentable at the same time.

4. POMPADOUR

It is a style for a classic man. This style is perfect when building your hair mass while having a considerable amount of hair, especially in the middle of your head. After using Rogain and the hair is voluminous, you’ll even look better with the pompadour style. The sides of the head are cut short and the middle area with the longest hair is brushed back. It is a great style to build volume at the focal point of your hair, and make your face appear slimmer.

In fact, you could go the extra mile of pitching the hair in the middle using your hand by rubbing the hair together. This builds volume at the roots and after styling, you look dazzling with capacious hair.

5. QUIFF

It is basically a reversed pompadour which means that instead of brushing the hair back, you brush it forward. It is a unique, authentic look and definitely a great technique to conceal thinned out middle sections of hair. After ensuring your scalp is dry, apply your minoxidil making sure it’s as close to the scalp as possible, then comb the hair to the middle area then forward. Since minoxidil makes the scalp feel dry at first, covering the bald areas with this style will be comforting to your head.

6. COLOR YOUR HAIR, THEN ADOPT A WASH AND GO STYLE

If you’re looking for a cool look, and the use of Rogain limits gels and other products, simply dye your hair to give you the boost of style. After this, any time you clean your hair, wait for it to dry, apply the Rogain, and go! Have in mind that Rogain could make the dye appear a shade lighter but the dye will not affect its efficiency. With this, you do not need to try too hard, the dye gives you all the style you need. After the full regrowth, dye some more and retain the uniqueness or let the new and old mesh together.

There is really no hard and fast rule about styling your hair after using Rogain or Minoxidil. The secret is finding an easily maintained look, minimal use of other chemical products, and finally, getting a style that conceals thinned out or bald areas. After a full regrowth, try out many other funky styles!

SEE IF IT WORKED OUT FOR HIM

Wait a minute! You may be asking, why is Diego checking out Rogaine. Is he suffering from hair loss? No one in my family has suffered from hair loss, so I have not inherited that trait. What I have inherited from my family is my height. My background is Ecuadorian and a bit Chinese. My father and mother are both under 5’7. I can’t do much to truly change that. But, there are some other physical and psychological traits that we can control. For example, losing your hair! Thanks science!

When Rogaine reached out to me review Men’s Rogaine Unscented Foam, I pitched to them the idea that I would try it with my friend who did need the help, as a genetic trait he has inherited from his family is hereditary hair loss. I would coach my friend through using Rogaine and we would see if it worked out for him. They liked the idea and here we are! Let’s figure out how Rogaine works.

Hereditary Hair Loss is a real but manageable trait that one can get ahead of with Rogaine. My friend here, Julio, has this running in his family. While it looks like he has a full head of hair from the front and sides, when you look from the top, you’ll see the inherited traits kick in. Even though most people don’t see this, he knows it’s there. That can affect your confidence. That’s why he agreed to help me with this experiment as a way to get ahead of this hereditary condition and get the relief back from having a full head of hair. The important thing to figure out is what you want to change and start working on it. For example, Julio also got the short end of the stick from his family genes. Since we started this program we’ve also been looking into what style choices we can make to look taller. It’s all about taking control of things life throws at you.

HOW ROGAINE WORKS

Did you know most men have a 50% chance of experiencing HHL by the age of 50 and can begin experiencing this condition as early as their late teens or early 20’s? I hope that with Rogaine, we can help Julio beat nature!

So how do you even use Rogaine? We’re here to help show you. They come in these foam dispensing cans. These cans give you a month’s worth of Rogaine. You can buy them individually or in packs of three. Rogaine gave us four month’s worth.

For this demonstration, I was applying the foam on Julio’s head. Normally, you don’t need gloves and can do this yourself, all this was simply for the demonstration.

The instructions say to hold the can upside down and spray out a “cup” worth of foam. This is in reference to the cap that seals the Rogaine.

THE FOAM QUICKLY PENETRATES INTO THE SCALP

Once it’s in your hand, quickly, use your fingers to massage throughout the hair loss area and then wash your hands. If you wait too long, it will melt in your hands. Adding more foam doesn’t help, just use the recommended amount. The foam quickly penetrates into the scalp with gentle massaging to revitalize hair follicles that have become dormant and stimulate hair regrowth. It can be applied to dry or towel dried hair and then you can add any styling product. Rogaine is unscented so no one will know! Then just let it air dry. Apply it in the morning and at night.

NOW THE WAITING GAME

Like with any other transformative product, it is recommended to use Rogaine for about 3-4 months to see results (pretty impressive if you ask me). Sometimes you can see results even sooner. The instructions note that there is some hair shedding during the first few weeks, but that’s the older hairs you would have lost anyway making way for the new, healthy ones. Usually after 4 months of twice daily usage, new growth will appear. We will be documenting Julio’s experience and I’ll be checking up with him that he is following the routine to help with his hair regrowth. Check back in for more posts and see how Julio’s been doing!

Thanks for reading, y’all stay dandy.
-Diego

This post has been sponsored by Rogaine, but all opinions are Dandy In The Bronx.